When it comes to relationships in professional wrestling, few men have as varied an experience working alongside Vince McMahon as Eric Bischoff.
From being rivals in the 1990s to coworkers in the 2000s to rivals again when he joined TNA to coworkers once more, Bischoff and McMahon have spent hours formatting shows, discussing the directions of characters, and celebrating each other's failures, as it means they were successful with their own ventures.
So when Mr. McMahon was removed from WWE in disgrace after news of his improprieties came to life, it shook Bischoff's world as much as anyone else's, so much so that, on the latest edition of his 83 Weeks podcast, he brokedown just how incomprehensible it still is to imagine the promotion without its former Chairman of the Board.
“I mean, that was his life, man. I mean, from the time he was a kid, when his dad was running the business, and Vince was learning the ropes, literally putting up rings and everything else that Vince did, that’s been his life,” Eric Bischoff said on 83 Weeks via 411 Mania. “And to be persona non grata at this point, where if he tried to walk into the office, he’d probably be escorted out by security? How weird is that? It’s still so hard for me to comprehend.”
Asked to speak on the people who are rapidly attempting to distance themselves from Mr. McMahon due to his actions, Bischoff noted the challenges of Mr. McMahon as a person, as there were times in their relationship when he did things that almost made you forget you his reputation.
“He’s such a complicated individual. I mean, there’s so many weird — not weird — there’s so many aspects of Vince McMahon’s personality that are conflicting. I mean, I don’t want to make this all about Vince McMahon, but Vince McMahon has done some pretty big things for people that others don’t even know about. I’m not going to publicize it, because Vince decided and the other people involved decided that they didn’t want it known. But I’m firsthand aware — and some of this happened long before I ever went to work for Vince,” Bischoff noted.
“So I’m not saying this because I had an insight while I was there. But there are parts of Vince McMahon that are gracious, and generous and kind. And every once in a while, you’d get a glimpse into an aspect of Vince’s personality or at least I did, where I went, ‘Wow, this guy really does have a heart. He really does, this facade that we see isn’t completely true and accurate. There is a real human being deep down inside.’ And I’ve had that thought a number of times in my interactions with Vince. I remember sitting in his office one night at one o’clock in the morning when I was there back in 2019. And subject of conversation came up, and Vince got a phone call in the middle of that conversation. From his mother, actually. And once I realized it was a personal call — it was one o’clock in the morning, I was begging for a reason to get the f**k out of there. But I started you’d up to walk out, and Vince put up his hand and, ‘Just wait a second,’ you know. And I sat there and I listened to his side of the conversation. And I thought, ‘What a wonderful son this man is. He does have a heart.’”
Is it surprising that Mr. McMahon did kind things from time to time? No, despite the terrible things that have been accused of the former Chairman of the Board, no one has ever accused him of being a soulless monster. Still, Bischoff wasn't finished with his comments either, noting that there is a side of his former boss that comes as advertised in the worst way possible.
Eric Bischoff admits that Vince McMahon always had a dark side.
Turning his attention from the unlikely kindness of Vince McMahon to the cruelty many have accused him of over the past few months, Eric Bischoff noted that he's seen plenty of bad from his former boss, too.
“And then there’s the other side. There’s the business side that we all know of, at least. I experienced firsthand, competing against him legitimately. And that hard, super hardcore, aggressive, ‘Take no prisoners’ — he was a killer when it came to business. He was like Genghis F**king Khan when it came to business,” Eric Bischoff added.
“Very complicated guy, very complicated. And I — you know, it makes me also wonder what — aside from not being able to gain access to the WWE headquarters building, which just sounds weird even saying it really. But I wonder what his situation is with the family. Stephanie, Shane, grandkids. Linda and Vince have had a unique relationship for quite some time, nothing new there. But I’m just wondering what the relationship — is it healing, can it heal? Or maybe it’s really not that damaged as we all think it is. But wouldn’t it be interesting to follow Vince McMahon around for a couple of days now and see what he’s up to? And how he’s reacting to all of this?”
In the end, Bischoff's feelings fall where most folks do, that WWE is better off moving on from McMahon instead of trying to protect his incredibly fragile part of the promotion's legacy when it seems to be crashing down no matter what anyone says positively on a podcast.
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